Hat steamer



Feb. 13, 1945. R C;7 UTLEY ET AL 2,369,623

HAT STEAMER Filed March 1, 1945 5 sheets-sheet 1 f Fell 13, 1945. R. c.UTLEY E'rAl. 2,369,623

HAT STEAMER Filed March l, 1943 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 .797 Je?? 'forms' Feb.13, 1945.

R. C. UTLEY Er Al.

HAT STEAMER Filed March 1, 1945 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 vPatented Feb. 13, 1945oFIFLlcE HAT STEAIMERA Ray C. Utley `and Arthur Feilchenfeld, Jr.,

Chicago, Ill. l i

.Application 'March 1, 1943, seriaiNo. 477,544

` 11 claims.

- In our prior Patent No. 2,276,809, we have :disclosed a, small,portable apparatus for rapidly generating steam and discharging it, in amanner to permit successful steaming of hats or other articles. Theobject vof the present invention is further to improve the apparatusdisclosed in th aloresaid patent. l -v i When steam is generatedrapid-ly and allowed to escape'it is apt to carry with it water .inliquid form. In our prior patent, in order to ,-permit'the liquid waterto become separated from the steam and collect oli/surfaces down whichit may travel to reach the body of water that is beingheated, we makethe delivery pipes quite long. One' of the objects of the presentinvention is to do away withV the need for long delivery pipes, therebyconserving material and space, making possible a ymore compact structureand simplifying the problem of maintaining the exterior of the apparatusat an unobjectionably low temperature.

A further object -of the present invention is tov provide a simple andnovel means for collecting sediment that may be deposited in the ap`paratus, wherebythe sediment will not interfere with either the propersupplying ofwater or emcient heating of the water to transform it intosteam.

A further object of `the present invention-is to provide the steamgenerating apparatus with a simple and novel casing or housing which'may easily be applied or removed, and which will not becomeobjectionably hot during the use Vof the apparatus. l

A further object of the present invention is to reduce the possibilityof short circuits .being created by the wires which carry the currentlto the ,heating coils. .l

The various features of novelty whereby our invention is characterizedwill hereinafter be pointed out with particularity in the claims; but,for a full understanding of our invention .and of its objects andadvantages, referencemay be had to the following detailed vdescriptiontaken in connection with the, accompanyingy drawings, wherein:

Figm'e 1 is a central vertical section through an apparatus embodyingthe present invention; 2,is a section online 2-2 of Fig. 1;.Fig. 3 is asection on line 3-3 o1' Fig. 1; Flgf-gi is 'a bottom plan view, aportionv of the bottom wall being broken away; Fig. 5 is an endview,"l'ooking from the right hand side of Fig. 1; and Fig. B

` is a section on line 6-6 of Fig. 1.

The apparatus as a whole is; generally speaking, like Ythat o! ouraforesaidA patent, No. 2,276;

809atnd need only briefly be described` It comprises'a suitable flatbase' l, fromA which rises van open-top reservoir 2 upon which a bottleA is to be placed upside down. Rising` from the base in` spaced relationto each other and Aat one side of thereservoir, are two shortsleeve-like projections 3. The parts I, 2 anda mayconvenientlyconstitute a single casting, as shown. On the undersideA ofthe base is a tunnel or passage I, one 'end of which communicates withthe bottom ofthe reservoir, through an opening or port 5, while'towardfthe other end are two ports 6 connecting the passage with-the interiorsof the sleeve-like parts 3*.v Screwed into the projections 3' arevertical pipes '1, which are quite short comparedwith the correspondingPipes in, said patent. rI'l-ie upper ends of the pipes fare connectedtogether by'an overlying hollow heads, terminatin la nozzle s; Theinterior of-"the head contains-a transverse ,partition l0, separating itinto a. lower compartment communicating directly with' the pipes 11, andanH upper compartment which mergesV into `the nozzle. This partitioncontains a central opening Ilv which lies above the space between thetwo pipes, namely outwandly from the imaginary surfaces correspondingtothe cylindrical'surfaces vof the inlets into theV bottom` ofi the head.Thepartition is incli-ned'- upwardly and laterally'from opposite sidesofthe opening H so as'to form directly above each ofl the pipes `apocket or dome located `above theplane of the opening l I. Suroundingeach of the pipes 'l is a heating coil I2; this part of the apparatusbeing preferably the samey as that in the aforesaid patent. l When afull. bottle of water is 11p-ended and set'upon lthe reservoir, waterwill iiow therefrom until' it reaches a predetermined level in the res/-ervoir and inthe pipes 1. As water is 'trans-4 formedinto steam,additional water is delivered from the bottle to maintain `a constantlevel. A s the steamis. generatedit rises through the pipes and entersthe pockets or domes in the head. Any liquid thus carried along,,withthe steam therefore strikes Ythe walls of ,the pockets `or domes,collects thereon, and nally drops back into the bottom of the head. jFrom there the water can flow back into the pipes.- In this way,substantially all-of the free water is separated which lit is to be put.I

come heated, so as to provide an insulating air space between the latterand the casing. This makes it necessary to cause the housing to be heldin a fixed relation to the apparatus proper by some means that would notbe. required if the casing were a tight fit. In the arrangement shown,the base is provided at its long sides near The open end of each cupterminates in a reduced` portion or neck I5 that iits snugly into anenlarged upward continuation of the corresponding port 6. Each member I4has one or more holes` I1, extending through the cylindrical wallthereof,

near the upper or closed end. Thus water rising through the port 6 mustreach the level of the holes I'I before it enters the free space withinthe pipes; andsince this level is considerably above the'bottom of suchspace; an annular pocket or well'is provided below the immediatewaterinlet to e'ach pipe. Each 'member I4 may be connected to' the lowerend of a rod I9, carrying the little wire -mesh disks I8 as in theaforesaid patent.

We have found that when our Steamers are carelessly handled, as theyfrequently are, there is'danger of damage to the insulation of the wires2`I that bring the current to the terminals 22 of the heating coils.Therefore, as bestshown in Figs. 4 and-6, We carry these wires throughlong tubes 24 of insulating material which extend between and throughvanes or ears 25 and 26 projecting downwardly from the inside of thebase; the vanes or ears 25 being close to the terminals 22 whereas theothers are 'near the end of the base at which the electrical connectionsare made.`

The base has at the four corners thereof down- Wardly projecting lugs21. Underlying and engaged with these lugs is a false bottom composedpreferably of a metal plate 28 anda sheet 29 of insulatingmaterialzoverlying the plate. The plate may be secured to the lugs 21 byattaching means includingfeet 30 on which the structurer is supported.

"I'he entire device or apparatus is enclosed within a housing orcasing,not only for the sakeof improving the appearance thereof but to protectthe same and to insure that all exposed surfaces, excepting only theextreme end of the nozzle, remain cool even through prolonged periods ofuse. The casing or housing is without a bottom but covers the device ontop and on all sides,

leaving openings onlyv for the tip of the nozzle and the top of thereservoir. The casing or housing isc'onveniently formed of two similarsections 3| and 32 meeting in the longitudinal vertical central plane ofthe steamer. The two sections are preferably provided at their meetingedges with means that interlock, when the two sections are broughttogether by lateral movements, to prevent relative movements, in otherdirections. 'I'his may conveniently be vaccomplished as in 2' in whichthe"section 3l has at its vertical edges a pair of bosses 34 whichengage with similar bosses 35 on the other section. Each ofthe bosses 35is provided with a pin 36 lfixed thereto and adapted to be engaged in ahole 33 in the corresponding boss'34 when the two sections are broughttogether. The two sections may be fastened together by a single screwpassing through one of the sections and into the other at a poin betweenthe reservoir and the pipes 1.

lIt is desirable-that the casing or housing be spaced apart from themetal parts that may bethe four corners with thin flange-like sections38, unless the base itself be ofthe necessary thinness. These portionsenter notches39 in ears 40 projecting inwardly from the side walls ofthe casing The parts are so proportioned that, when the two sections ofthe casing are assembled on the device, the flanges 38 enter the notches39 and are clamped in the same upon the tightening of the screw 31. Thecasing i's therefore readily attached to the apparatus and is supportedthereby, through being clamped against the same at four points. Inlorder that the casing be not re quired to support the weight of thesteaming apparatus, the feet 30 arepermitted to extend a substantialdistance below the plane of the lower s edge of the casing as best shownin Fig. 1, so that the weight of the whole structure, including thecasing, is borne by these feet. While we have illustrated and describedwith particularity only a single preferred form of our invention, we donot desire to be limited to the exact structural details thusillustrated and de-` scribed; but intend to cover 'all forms andI arlrangements which come within the definitions of our inventionconstituting the appended claims; We claim: 1. In an apparatus of thecharacter described, a vertical pipe through which steam rises duringuse, there being above and carried by the pipe a hollow head wider thanthe diameter of the pipe and divided into an upper and a lower compart-fment by a transverse partition, the portion of the head containing theupper compartment terminating in a nozzle, there being an openingthrough said partition at a substantial distance beyond one side of animaginary upward extension of the periphery of the pipe, and saidpartition being shaped to form a dome directly above said pipe to trapall of the steam that rises from the pipe before it can flow throughsaid opening. 2.. In an apparatus of the character described, a pair ofvertical pipes spaced apart from each other, through which steam risesin use; a hollow head overlying and attached to the upper ends of thepipes; the interior of the head being divided into an upper and a lowercompartment by'a transverse partition, the upper compartment terminatingin a nozzle; and said partition having therein, at a point between thepipes, an outlet from the lower compartment into the upper compartment.

.3. In an apparatus ofthe character described, a pair of vertical pipesspaced apart from each other, through -which steam rises in use; ahollow bulges above said pipes to form pockets into'whieh the steam mustrise before flowing said outlet.

4. In an apparatus of the character described. a base,- a pipe risingfrom said base and having an outletat the upper end, an invertedcup-shaped laterally t member smaller in diameter than the interior ofthe pipe located in the pipe in engagement with the base, saidcup-shaped member having an outlet for water toward the top, and therebeing a hole through the base into the bottom of said member, wherebyany solids deposited in the pipe may settle into the space around saidcup-shaped -member below said outlet and be rendered harmless to chokethe water inlet to the pipe.

5. In an apparatus of the character described, a base, a pipe risingfrom the base, the base having a hole coaxial with the pipe, and aninverted cup-shaped member, smaller in diameter than the pipe fittingtightly into said hole, said member having an opening through a wallthereof at a substantial distance above the base to provide a settlingwell in the lower end of the pipe below said opening in the cup-shapedmember.

6. In an apparatus of the character described, a base, a pipe risingfrom the base and open at its upper end, the base having therein coaxialwith the pipe a hole for the passage of water into the pipe, an invertedcup-shaped member fitting into said hole and having holes through thewall thereof near the top, and a stem fixed to said cup-shaped memberand extending up through the center of the pipe.

7. In an apparatus of the character described, a base, a pipe risingfrom the base and open at its upper end, the base having therein coaxialwith the pipe a hole for the passage of water into the pipe, an invertedcup-shaped lmember fitting into said hole and having holes through thewall thereof near the top, a stem xed to said cupshaped member andextending up through the center of the Ipipe, and a plurality ofopen-work disks distributed along the stern and forming a series oftransverse partitions in the pipe.

8. In an apparatus of the character described inwhich there is a basemember and electric heating means for Water mounted on top of the base,an electric terminal on the under side of the base, an ear projectingdown from the lbase near said terminal, a second ear remote from theother ear, a tube of insulating material extending through and supportedby said ears, and a conductor enclosed by said tube and connected tosaid terminal.

9. In an apparatus of the character described, in which there is a baselmember and electric heating means for water mounted on top of the base,an electric terminal on the under side of the base, an ear projectingdown from the base near said terminal, a second ear remote from theother ear, a tube of insulating material extending through and supportedby said ears, a conductor' enclosed by said tube and connected to saidterminal, and a rigid plate underlying and xed to the base and forming acover for the said tube and terminal.

10. In an apparatus of the character described, a main body memberhaving supporting feet and thin horizontal side flanges projectingtherefrom near the lower end, a casing surrounding said member anddivided on a vertical plane into two sections each of which can be movedlaterally into and out of position, each section containing channels toreceive the anges on the corresponding side of said member, and means tosecure said sections together.

11. In an apparatus of the character described, a main body memberhaving supporting feet and thin horizontal side flanges projectingtherefrom near the lower end, a casing surrounding said member anddivided on a vertical plane into two sections each of which can be movedlaterally into and out of position, each section containing channels toreceive the anges on the corresponding side of said member, and a singlescrew eX- tending between and securing said sections together.

RAY C. UTLEY.

ARTHUR FEILCHENFELD, J R.

